Jonesboro Unlimited (JU) received a 2025 Excellence in Economic Development Bronze Award from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) recognizing their Always Jonesboro initiative in the Talent Development and Retention category.
Each year, IEDC honors economic development organizations, government entities, initiatives, and programs that consistently demonstrate excellence in the field. The honorees lead transformational projects that revitalize communities and advance the practice of economic development, according to IEDC.
Launched in spring 2024, the mission of Always Jonesboro is to promote the city as a vibrant place to live, work, and play, helping attract and retain talent. The initiative highlights Jonesboro’s amenities, opportunities, and lifestyle through the website www.AlwaysJonesboro.com[1], active Facebook and Instagram pages, and involvement from community ambassadors.
A-State Promotes Dr. Fen Yu To Cabinet-Level Position
Dr. Fen Yu has been promoted to vice chancellor for institutional effectiveness, innovation, and strategy at Arkansas State University, Chancellor Todd Shields announced.
The cabinet-level appointment reports to the chancellor and works with the provost and executive vice chancellor.
Having served A-State beginning in 2020, Yu progressed from assistant vice chancellor for institutional research to associate vice chancellor in 2022.
In her new, expanded role, she will lead campus-wide efforts in institutional research and data-informed decision making, strategic process efficiency and operational alignment. She also will have oversight for the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence, machine learning and predictive models to enhance campus-wide effectiveness and strategies.
St. Bernards Hires Dr. Nicolas Khattar As Cerebrovascular Neurosurgeon
St. Bernards Healthcare announced the arrival of cerebrovascular neurosurgeon Nicolas “Nick” Khattar who joins the growing team of expert neurosurgeons practicing at St. Bernards Medical Center.
Dr. Khattar arrives at St. Bernards after completing a cerebrovascular fellowship at the Semmes-Murpey Clinic in Memphis. He brings several new surgical options to St. Bernards, including the ability to remove clots from blood vessels in the brain, a procedure known as a mechanical thrombectomy. This intervention treats strokes by restoring blood flow and minimizing damage to the brain. Dr. Khattar also completed a complex spine fellowship, after his residency at the University of Louisville.
Jo Ann Nailey Receives Lifetime Achievement Award At A-State
In recognition of both her career and her vision for young children’s education, Jo Ann Nalley received a Lifetime Achievement Award during the annual Fall Faculty Conference at Arkansas State University.
Nalley, an A-State staff member for 54 years, leads an outreach unit, A-State Childhood Services, that touches every corner of Arkansas, according to Dr. Travis Marsico, vice provost for research, innovation and discovery at A-State.
Nalley has secured over $256 million in state and federal grants since 2000. The total would be even higher, but institutional records go back only 25 years.
WBU Appoints Two Instructors As Thomas O. Jones Professors
Two Williams Baptist University faculty members have been formally installed into professorships honoring former WBU President Dr. Thomas O. Jones. Drs. Robert Foster and Michael Fox were recognized during the university’s opening convocation ceremony on Aug. 21.
Foster was installed in the Thomas O. Jones Professorship in Christian Ethics. A member of the WBU faculty since 1999, Foster serves as chair of the Christian ministries department and professor of Christian ministries at Williams.
Fox was installed in the Thomas O. Jones Professorship in Faith and Vocation. He is a WBU alumnus, and he has served since 2024 as associate professor of Christian ministries.
WBU President Dr. Stan Norman conducted the installation of Foster and Fox, and the two were presented medallions by Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Ruth Provost.
The Thomas O. Jones Professorship was endowed earlier this year by an anonymous, $250,000 gift. Jones, the sixth president of WBU, led the school from 2012 to 2017.
A-State Selects Vice Chancellor For Enrollment Management
Dr. Amanda Nickerson has joined Arkansas State University as the new vice chancellor for enrollment management.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in business information systems from the University of Texas at Arlington and a master’s degree in education from Texas Christian University (TCU). Nickerson earned a doctorate in education in educational leadership from West Texas A&M University.
She comes to A-State after serving as the senior director of higher education partnerships for economic mobility at Dallas College Economic Mobility Center.
Before that, Nickerson was the interim associate vice president for enrollment management for admissions at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). During her time there, she achieved record-breaking enrollment numbers for first-year students, resulting in an 8% increase from the previous year.
At UTA, she managed an $8.7 million admissions budget, revamped first-year admission strategies to enhance student retention, and launched partnerships with local school districts that boosted enrollment and retention rates.
Roberts Wins Pocahontas Aluminum Company Scholarship
Addison Roberts of Jonesboro has been awarded the Pocahontas Aluminum Company Inc. Scholarship. Roberts is a 2018 graduate of Valley View High School. She is the daughter of Anthony and Gwen Roberts of Jonesboro, and is seeking a degree in nursing.
The scholarship, funded by Pocahontas Aluminum Company Inc., is made possible through the 2024 BRTC Foundation Golf Tournament headlined by Proventus. The $1,000 scholarship package enables donors to offer a $1,000 scholarship to a student the following fall, provided the student meets academic requirements.
Lyon College School of Dental Medicine Hires Research Director
Dr. Burke Soffe, founding dean of the Lyon College School of Dental Medicine, has announced the appointment of Dr. Stefanie Leacock as the inaugural director of research for the school.
Leacock, an assistant professor in the dental school, will assume the new leadership role in addition to her faculty appointment. She will be responsible for advancing scholarly inquiry, supporting faculty and student research initiatives, and ensuring compliance with accreditation standards.
Leacock previously taught in the Department of Biology at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for nearly seven years and prior to that at the University of Texas at Austin. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, where she used zebrafish as a model organism to study cancer biology.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Florida State University and a doctor of philosophy in genetics from Yale University. Her dissertation focused on germline gene expression in C. elegans and identified two novel maternally expressed genes that promote embryonic germline establishment. Her postdoctoral research, funded by the American Cancer Society, examined the role of the Ewing’s sarcoma fusion protein in tumor development.
Proventus Announces BRTC Scholarships In Memory of Cecile Stern
Proventus has announced their 2025 scholarships at Black River Technical College will be in memory of the late Cecile Rachel Stern. Cecile Stern, originally from Astoria, Queens, N.Y., was married to her husband Leonard for 64 years.
Stern raised a family, obtained a graduate degree, ran a successful business, and held many responsible positions in the health care field.
The Proventus Scholarship in Memory of Cecile Stern funded by Proventus, is made possible through the 2024 BRTC Foundation Golf Tournament headlined by Proventus. The $1,000 scholarship package enables donors to offer a $1,000 scholarship to a student the following fall, provided the student meets academic requirements.
Jonesboro-based Proventus is composed of a team of retired Navy SEALs. The company provides safety, security, and leadership training to organizations to ensure that each place has a safe and secure environment.
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References
- ^ www.AlwaysJonesboro.com (alwaysjonesboro.com)